dogs and babies!?!?!

[alicecooper]

We have a very small dog, and she's lovely around our 3 kids, but she's never experienced an actual baby before (my youngest child was just turned 2 years old when we got our dog), so we have no idea how the dog is going to react around the baby.

She's not aggressive at all, but I wouldn't take the chance of leaving her alone with the baby regardless.

We plan on introducing her slowly and carefully to the baby, ALWAYS supervised. If we have to leave the room for a few minutes we'll pop the dog in the garden first (she's used to the garden from time to time anyway so it's not as though she'll suddenly feel excluded).

I'd like to think the dog will build up an understanding of being careful around the baby, but to be honest my dog isn't even 2 years old yet and she's very VERY playful and giddy, so even if she's not aggressive I wouldn't put it past her accidentally bouncing around the room and jumping on the baby or something because she can get quite excitable. So she could harm the baby totally unintentionally, just by being playful.

So supervised is the way to go I think.

 

[PinkEmily]

Everyone's story with dogs is different, every dog and family is different.
We have 2 Bichons, they can be quite hyper but never experienced any form of aggression from them. They can come across as anti-social at time because they are barkers.

When we brought Olly home from hospital they were very unsure at first, this little thing in a car seat making noises. Max our male Bichon was the first to accept him and was glued to him (until he could move around, he now keeps his distance), Poppy took a while and wasn't really bothered (She is now best friends with him, she is so patient and takes a lot of toddler abuse from him).
As long as you don't leave your baby and dog alone together you should be fine, don't just keep the dog locked away the whole time, let them interact with each other and make a fuss of your dog. As your baby grows older you'll have to teach them to stay away from the dogs food, be gentle etc.
In my opinion, babies and dogs can work well together. It makes me sad when people say to get rid of animals.

 

[sammiexsue]

My dog was great from the minute we brought my daughter home!!! he is 6 years old small pug/ boston mix... he tip toes around her everything.. i would never give my dog up for anything, i see my dog as my baby as well and i think that may have helped him adjust to "his sister" as we call my daughter to him..

 

[babyhopes2010]

Ok so iv changed my mind from yesterday

i wasnt looking and didnt realise DD was on top of the dog. he bit her!! im devastated! it wasnt hard and i dont blame him.it was a light bite but enough to mark her.

im considering putting him down but firstly im getting in touch with a dog behaviour specialised. it could have been alot worse!

 

[stephx]

No way I just don't think dogs and babies mix

No dog is deemed dangerous until it has caused harm, and there is no way in hell I would chance it. You hear about babies being savaged in the news all the time- and I know the common response is "it's the humans fault he should have been trained!" etc but no I'm sorry I don't think those kids parents would put them in direct danger of a savage dog, they were most likely fine until they turned nasty.

They are wild animals at the end of the day, they should be trusted even for a second as at any point even the most placid dog could turn.

I should probably add that I am still scarred from a bite on my face when I was 3 by an elderly dog that had NEVER bitten before...

I also had a staffie that I rehomed when I was pregnant, she was calm and placid. 6 months ago she went to attack a toddler when she jumped out of the car before her owner could grab her. Am I glad I rehomed her? HELL YES

 

[Kittycat155]

I honestly would be more concerned about an older dog then one that is only 2. Most young dogs do pretty well with some basic work to mind space, like not jumping up or plowing over people. I don't have any experience with babies and dogs as I am only pregnant now, but I work with dogs for a living so have seen all sorts. Whereas older dogs, as wonderful as they are have pains and things that hurt, so they are quicker to snap or get uncomfortable. Not to mention as dogs age their minds change, they may get more uncomfortable about certain things.

I also think breed has nothing to do with this, In all respect to what some have said. ANY breed can be prone to biting if not trained or respected as all dogs should. It is true that SOME breeds are breed for a certain purpose, but with the proper training can be just as safe. In fact Golden retrievers have a high bite rating out of many breeds like pit bulls and such because they are so common and many assume they are loving, soft mouthed, family dogs, but many can and do bite because they were never given training or the respect they deserve.

I have an older(8ish years) rescued GSD. Hes very sweet and I love him very much. But he has back pain, and sometimes gets uncomfortable with small children, doesn't like them being down on his level. But I won't rehome him, we will wait until baby is here and see how he does. He has basic obedience and although he likes to be with us he is quite used to being by himself in his room, and he will never be alone with baby at all. So although I am cautious and wondering how it will go, I am ready to do whatever it takes to keep everyone happy and safe. As long as you are careful, and you also make sure as you baby grows you teach them to be respectful and smart about dogs you should be fine, but trust your gut.

I agree the older dogs have pain issues usually to some degree(remember the larger the dog the sooner it becomes an older dog vs something like a boston)

And any dog bought from a petstore is more then likely a back yard breeder on purpose bred just to have puppies or a puppy mill with NO interaction with humans. An accidental litter raised with love will more then likely do better then dogs from the previous situations. Alot is genetics too. A dog bred for temperament and raised right is a great choice, saying that both my dogs are not from a top notch breeder. One was an accident and the other we have no idea as our home is her 3. Was told she was purchased from a breeder at 9 months.

Will try our best but if something happens I do not believe in passing the problem along and would go to the vet for the final shot with that dog in my arms. I have done it once before and truly believe that there are so many dogs that one willing to bite its own family has a SERIOUS issue if it was not provoked or done out of pain(previous dog would just...flip. He could be ok then you walk past and he would get angry. He came from a HIGH KILL shelter who tried to move pits out ASAP and found out later was lying about behavior. The dog I took was listed as high risk. Found out months later by calling the "behavior line" he was actually supposed to only go toa rehabber and not a personal home until after he was better.

 

[girlnboots]

I think a lot of accidents that happen between dogs and babies are when parents aren't paying attention, with very few exceptions. Don't punish the dog for using it's instincts when it's feeling threatened. If I was an older dog with a child climbing on my back, I would be very scared. If you truly aren't comfortable with your dog around your child, find it a new, better home.

Another thing, it won't hurt to know your dog and their breed. I, for one, have 2 shepherding dogs, and one of the first dog-related things that should be taught to children is NOT to run from them. They're bred to chase. They're not going to attack, but they'll sure as hell nip at their arms/legs, which some parents see as "biting" but it's just what the dog was bred to do for centuries.

 

[Nariah01]

I personally wouldn't put a dog down unless the bite was unprovoked or was particularly bad, that's just my personal situation though. I would consider rehoming it depending on the circumstances. I know most people say they watch their kids and dogs when they are together and such, but I have to say most people relax over time because nothing has gone wrong and that's when accidents happen. Having an older dog, I never let my guard down because I know when I do he could hurt something, more likely our cat because he thinks spiderman might be food. Not to mention I worked with someone who specializes in animal behavior from the moment we adopted him, so if he starts acting odd I know what to do. If you really feel uncomfortable I would try to find the dog a better home, I know some feel like this is a bad idea because he could do it elsewhere. But if you find someone who understands, and you make it all clear ahead of time it should be fine. My personal opinion though, each person will do what they feel is comfortable and no one should make you feel bad for doing what you feel is right.

 

[embeth]

We have a 9 month old lab who i love! I have 5 and 6 year old boys who regularly attempt to jump all over him, particularly the 5 year old! He has neer ever shown an ounce of aggression no bark, growls nothing. The main issue we have is that he wants to lick everyone to pieces!! I have no worries about him with bub when he arrives but still wouldn't leave them alone together, he is an animal and a very heavy clumsy one, I don't think he would intentionally harm anything tho. To be honest cant wait to see him grow up alongside the kids. Xxx

 

[sojourn]

Eeeek big dogs (like bigger than a toddler dogs) scare me around kids.
I babysat for a family that had two big labs. The dad had had the dogs since college and well before he got married and had a child.
In one incident, the mom had the baby in a carrier and was walking the dogs and they saw something and bolted, the big dogs knocked the mom over and drug her and the baby for a couple feet before the mom could get her hand off of the leash. The baby had facial injuries and the mom broke her wrist.
They kept the dogs!
Then when the little girl got a bit older she was in the kitchen with her mom and the dog got over the baby gate in the hall and wandered in the kitchen. The baby was on the floor near the dog's food and the dog bit her face. The other dog heard the commotion and jumped the gate and bit the girl on the shoulder.
This mom kept her baby and dogs separate and had gates, taught the kid not to touch the dogs ,STILL she has a large scar on her cheek from the fall and a chunk out of her shoulder. Her kid is permanently disfigured and could have died TWICE.

That being said, we have an ancient rat terrier that we intend to keep. Seriously though, by the time our LO will even be on the floor she'll probably die my husband also rough houses with her, pulls her tail, picks her up etc and I've never even heard her growl! Even if she tried to bite a kid, she's tiny and most of her teeth are gone!!
But you bet your ass, she just won't be able to be around my kid.

 

[wellsk]

I shouldn't read these threads... They always send my anxiety sky high!

I have two dogs, a 7 year old Dalmatian and a year old Basset. I love them very much and have absolutely no intention of getting rid of either of them. While I agree that dogs have natural instincts, these are the reasons you never leave your child with the dogs unsupervised and try and train them as best as possible to respect you and the baby.

We've been advised by a dog trainer that any male un-neutered dogs should be neutered. And bring home clothes that smell like baby to let them sniff. Also play crying baby sounds in the house for them to get used to, and even use a pretend doll to practice what's going to be expected of the dog.

Try not to lock the dogs away as much as possible, this creates a separation and jealousy. And spend time with the dogs without your baby, plenty of attention and praise.

If anything ever happened between one of my dogs and my baby, dog get me wrong; as heartbroken as I would be I would probably rehome to be on the safe side. But it seems so unfair to not give the dog a chance, when they might've surprised you.

To the woman who considered putting their dog to sleep because it bit her child slightly. Please try and rehome it instead, putting it down seems so rash.

 

[Kittycat155]

Also no matter what you need to keep the exercise up. I can only imagine the time baby takes but its been proven good to take a walk when your able to far as stitches/healing/what not. A dog used to its daily walk all of a sudden limited to a pee/poop walk only is going to get pent up energy that NEEDS to be released.

If you can not have OH take the dog for the difference in exercise you are not able to provide look into a dog walker for a little bit or a neighbor you trust. My two are to strong to consider a kid/teen IMO but they may be an option for some of the real good dogs/smaller dogs